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The Duke of Cambridge has offered a glimpse of the emotional impact of his work as an air ambulance pilot.

William visited the Young Minds youth mental health charity with the Duchess and asked for "an easy one" when told they would be listening in to real calls to its helpline from concerned parents.

He told the volunteers at their London headquarters: "I'm carrying a lot of things at the moment. I'll be in floods of tears at the end otherwise.

"I've had too many sad families with the air ambulance so I can't have any more stuff. Something on the lower level if I can."

Prince William and Kate, pictured arriving for a visit to Young Minds in London on Thursday, have focused much of their public work on promoting the emotional well-being of childrenCredit:
Nick Ansell/PA

During a visit to Keech Hospice Care in Luton on Wednesday, William sympathetically rested his hand on the shoulder of Ben Hines, 14, who lost his own mother, Alexandra, in June 2015 at the age of 40, telling him: "Time makes it easier."

The Duke of Cambridge comforting 14-year-old Ben Hines, following the death of his mother last yearCredit:
Keech Hospice Care

Speaking at Young Minds on Thursday, the Duke also revealed that he still gets nervous thinking about his GCSEs, on the day thousands of schoolchildren in England and Wales received their exam results.

Young Minds volunteer Saida Tahir, 46, told him they see a rise in calls around results time in August.

William replied: "It still gives me the heebie jeebies, I still get sweaty palms thinking about it."

The Duke took his exams at Eton, receiving three A*s, five As and two Bs.

The Duchess of Cambridge arriving on a visit to a helpline service run by one of the eight charity partners of Heads TogetherCredit:
Beretta/Sims/REX/Shutterstock

Speaking after their meeting, Mrs Tahir, a special needs teacher and mother-of-two, said: "It brings memories back of his own exams, which is great because he remembers what it was like for himself and the anxiety he went through."

She added that the royal couple had seemed "passionate" about child mental health.

Over the past year, William and Kate have focused much of their public work on promoting the emotional and psychological well-being of children, teenagers and adults.